Letter-holder.



5 W I M7, flmwu J. W. GIVE INS.

LETTER HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 22, 1907. RENEWED AUG. 28, 1909.

937,593, 7 Patented Oct. 19,1909.

Sawmtoao 10/216 :0. 6100 5 witnesses GRANAM r204. PHOYO-UYMDGRAFHEHS WASHINGTON, o. a

UNITED STATES rnrnnr orrron. I

JOHN W. GIVENS, 0F SALINA, KANSAS.

LETTER-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 22, 1907, Serial No. 398,676. Renewed August 28, 1909. Serial No. 515,101.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. GIVENS, citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Salina, in the county of Saline and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

In the bundling of letters in the mail service it is customary to tie the same with string, which practice is objectionable for many reasons, and the object of the present invention has been to obviate this necessity by the provision of a novel letter holder designed to engage a plurality of letters or similar members and retain the same in a package.

A further object of the invention is to provide a letter holder of this character which is inexpensive in its construction and is peculiarly designed to admit of the letters being quickly engaged by the device or disengaged therefrom.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the device employed for bundling a number of letters. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the back of the plate with the letters removed.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 1 designates a plate having approximately the shape of the letters or analogous members to be engaged by the device, the said plate being formed of sheet metal or other suitable material. An opening 2 is located at a suitable position in the plate for exposing the address upon any letter placed against the back of the same, elastic bands 3 being employed for holding the several letters together and clamping them against the plate. In the present instance two of these elastic bands '3 .are employed, each of the bands being engaged by a pair of clips 41:

secured to opposite ends of the plate 1 upon the back thereof and located adjacent the longitudinal edges of the plate. Each of these clips 4: is formed of a strip of spring material having one end thereof riveted or otherwise rigidly connected to the plate while the opposite end has a spring engagement with the plate, an intermediate portion of the strip being offset as indicated at 5 to receive the elastic bands and hold the same against accidental displacement. These strips 4: are disposed longitudinally with respect to the plate and are located adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof.

In the use of the device the elastic bands 3 are drawn around the ends of the plate so as to engage the face thereof and the plate is placed in the letter box with the face thereof down. The letters 6 or analogous members are then placed upon the plate and the elastic bands pulled back over the ends of the letters so as to clamp them securely against the back of the plate. After the package has thus been formed it will be readily apparent that the address of the first letter will be clearly visible through the opening 2 and that the various letters can be instantly disengaged from the plate by pulling the elastic bands away from the ends thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A holder for letters and the like, comprising a plate, clips applied to the back of the plate and arranged in pairs, each of the clips comprising a strip of spring material having one end thereof rigidly connected to the plate, while the opposite end has a spring engagement therewith, the intermediate portion of the strip being offset, and an elastic band received within the offset portions of each pair of the strips, the said bands serving to clamp the letters against the plate.

2. A holder for letters and the like comrising a plate having an opening therein or exposing the address of a letter placed against the plate, clips applied to the back of the plate, each of the clips comprising a strip of spring material having one end thereof rigidly connected to the plate, an

intermediate portion of the strip being oif- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature set and the said strips being disposed lonin presence of two Witnesses. gitudinally With respect to the plate and located adjacent the longitudinal edges JOHN GIVENS' 5 thereof, and elastic bands received by the Witnesses:

ofiset portions of the strips and serving to JOHN MOYER, clamp the letters against the plate. V L. P. I-LnoK. 

